Los Angeles Lakers: The Necessity of Life Without Kobe Bryant

The Lakers are 4-1 without Bryant heading into Tuesday night’s matchup against the Western Conference leading San Antonio Spurs, a stretch that has included victories over the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks and the Spurs themselves, in San Antonio.

Los Angeles’ resilience has been nothing short of impressive, improbable and unexpected. After being dealt a 20-point beat down from the Phoenix Suns in the team’s first game without the Black Mamba, all hell seemed ready to break loose. But the Lakers had something different in mind.

That first game without Bryant was a wakeup call. The Lakers shot a sound 48.5 percent from the field, but they were one of nine from beyond the arc and were clearly struggling with who to feature first on offense. Pau Gasol had a monstrous night, but the team as a whole struggled with shot-selection, getting 11 of their attempts sent back. In short, Los Angeles’ execution wasn’t particularly pretty against Phoenix.

But it was a game the Lakers needed.

Bryant is not going to coach from the sidelines full-time during the playoffs. He’s going to be on the hardwood, jacking up and contesting shots on either end of the floor for close to 40 minutes per game. However, the rest of the team sorely needed this stretch of Kobe-less basketball to establish their identity outside the Bryant-led Lakers.

And what’s even more incredible, and just as essential, is that Gasol has been from his best over Los Angeles’ four game winning streak. He’s averaging a shade over 20 points during the streak, but hasn’t shot the ball particularly well, failing to yield a 50 percent conversion rate in all four victories.

But the Lakers haven’t needed him to step up any further. Andrew Bynum has elevated his scoring and Ramon Sessions continues to string together solid performances. Most importantly, though, Matt Barnes has been relatively efficient from the field, Metta World Peace has increased his production on both ends of the floor and Steve Blake finally has a grip on Mike Brown’s offense.

No single Laker is filling up the stat lines on a consistent basis with Bryant out, but every player in the rotation is playing smart basketball. It has the Lakers, who at one point were hardly a threat to win with Bryant, a threat to win without him. That reality, that achievement, cannot be discounted.

Championships are no longer won because of one player. Even Dirk Nowitzki had an extremely deep supporting cast by his side last year.

Titles are won as a team, a notion Los Angeles has struggled to come to grips with all season. And while Bryant’s return will change the current dynamic, perhaps he won’t feel compelled to put up 30 shots per night. Perhaps, after witnessing the grit, will and overall capability of his teammates, there will be a newfound trust put forth moving forward.

This five-game stretch is undeniably a small sample size, but it’s meaning is anything but insignificant. For the first time, all year, hardly anyone is questioning the Lakers’ ability to contend for a title. And it’s no coincidence that for the first time, all year, this team is something outside of Kobe Bryant.

No, the Lakers are not a better team without Bryant, but they are far better off for having experienced life without him.